Malkangiri: All the big talk on ensuring basic necessities and welfare measures for school students, particularly through mid-day meal, falls flat when one witnesses disturbing scenes of tribal students being served only salt with rice. This despite the availability of necessary food stock with them.
Students of Sorishamal Sebashram School under Sadar police limits in Malkangiri have been living leading a life of misery with the school authorities allegedly keeping them ill-fed.
An exclusive OTV report suggests even though there are 260 students in the school, the quantity of food items like dal, curry during dinner gets used up after serving just around 60 students while the rest have to rely on rice and only salt.
Sources however clarified that the school store room usually contains enough stock to meet the daily requirements of the entire student strength.
With such facts coming to light in the residential school, the district welfare officer reviewed the situation in the school and has asked the school administration for a report.
“Action will be taken against the ones responsible for providing substandard food to students,’’ the official told OTV.
“After taking stock of the matter I found that the school has all necessary food stock but due to negligence or some other reason, substandard food is being supplied to the students,” the official said.
Asked, the school headmaster took the blame on himself saying such an incident happened for the first time.
On the other hand, students complained that they are usually ill-fed but never complained. “Today while preparing dinner, the headmaster asked us to remove the vegetables and pulses from our menu. Our food items fell short and so we had to eat only rice. This happens frequently,” a student said.